Victory: JCUA Celebrates Passing of Fair Housing Amendment in Cook County!

Today, May 8, 2013 the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted YES to amend the Human Rights Ordinance so that those with Housing Choice Vouchers will no longer be legally discriminated against based on their sources of income.

by Lauren Goldstein
JCUA Intern, Advocacy and Community Organizing

In Photo: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle urging commissioners to vote in favor of the amendment (photo taken by Open Communities).

Over the last year JCUA has been a partner in the effort to pass the Source of Income Amendment in Cook County, which will effectively outlaw (finally!) discrimination based on source of income in Cook County. This is already the case in the City of Chicago, but the rest of Cook County has been lagging behind. This has allowed landlords to deny Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher holders the right to apply for residence in their units.

Today, May 8, 2013 the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted YES to amend the Human Rights Ordinance so that those with Housing Choice Vouchers will no longer be legally discriminated against based on their sources of income. Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted YES for a county where discrimination of this type will no longer be tolerated.

The discussion prior to the vote was moving and powerful. Among other speakers, Cheryl Johnson, Executive Director of People for Community Recovery and longtime Altgeld Gardens resident and environmental justice activist, silenced the crowd with her moving words that proved impossible to disregard. A young mother of three and previous volunteer coordinator for the Obama campaign, also a Housing Choice Voucher holder, empowered the crowd to recognize that the stereotypical face of voucher holders is truly only a stereotype, and challenged the commissioners to see voucher holders as the strong, hardworking, veterans, mothers, fathers, and PEOPLE that they really are.

Following a separate roll-call of votes from the Commissioners, as well as astounding speeches in support of this amendment from Commissioner Garcia, Commissioner Sims, and Commissioner Suffredin, equal opportunity came to fruition amidst the celebratory applause, hugs, and words of praise from the audience.

While today is a day to celebrate justice won, we urge you to not forget the reality in which this discussion is rooted. It is concerning that in 2013 we must still debate whether to allow discrimination to thrive and to be codified into law.

Today we thank our partners in this campaign, especially Open Communities (who have led the fight and coordinated our collective efforts), Metropolitan Tenants Organization, Access Living and others.

JCUA will continue to work so that one day we may live in a society where basic human rights and equal protection under the law are no longer a point of contention. Until then, we hope you will celebrate this victory with us, and remember, as Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

[Urgent Action Alert] Stop Housing Discrimination in Cook County

Call your Cook County Commissioners Today! The County Board is taking an important vote tomorrow morning. Details:

In suburban Cook County, a person can be discriminated against by a property owner or landlord if they happen to pay their rent with a Housing Choice Voucher (formerly known as Section 8).  This is codified discrimination happening in our very backyards.

As a partner in the Source of Income Campaign, JCUA supports an amendment to the Human Rights Ordinance of Cook County which would make such discrimination illegal.  The Source of Income protection amendment to include Housing Choice Vouchers as a protected class under the county’s fair housing ordinance is included in the Human Relations Committee Report from July 24, 2012.  This protection already exists in Chicago and we want to mirror that protection for the suburbs.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners are voting on the report TOMORROW, Wednesday, May 8th at 11:00 AM.  We need your help to stop housing discrimination!  Please call your Commissioner (find your commissioner here, contact info below) and tell them:

In the vote tomorrow, please vote YES in support of The Human Relations Committee Report from July 24, 2012

JCUA will be at the vote and we invite you to join us:

Wednesday, May 8th at 11:00am in the County Board Chambers (118 N. Clark Chicago, IL; 5th Floor).

Please get there early to secure a seat or standing space.

Commissioners Contact Information:

1ST Earlean Collins 312-603-4566

2ND Robert Steele 312-603-0319

3RD Jerry Butler 312-603-6391

4TH Stanley Moore (Formerly Williams Beavers district) 312-603-2065

5th Deborah Sims 312-603-6381(if you can make only one call please call Commissioner Sims Office)

6th Joan Murphy 312-603-4216

7th Jesus Garia 312-603-5443

8th Edwin Reyes 312-603-6386

9th Peter Silvestri 312-603-4393

10th Bridget Gainer 312-603-4210

11th John Daley 312-603-4400

12th John Fritchey 312-603-6380

13th Larry Suffredin 312-603-6383

14th Gregg Goslin 312-603-4932

15th Tim Schneider 312-603-6388

16th Jeff Tobolski 312-603-6384

17th Elizabeth Gorman 312-603-4215

[Video] JCUA Marches for Immigration Reform: May Day 2013

by Lauren Goldstein
JCUA Intern, Advocacy and Community Organizing

On Wednesday, May 1, JCUA joined thousands of families, individuals, activists, advocates, and organizations to march for just and compassionate immigration reform.

In photo: Rabbi Alison Abrams, JCUA’s director of organizing, at the march.

It was a beautiful spring day (finally!) – perfect for coming together for social change. We arrived at Union Park at 2:30 to the sound of drums beating, people chanting, and flags waving. We then joined the march, which was just getting underway. We marched alongside allies from the Erie Neighborhood House, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (of which JCUA is a member), Unite Here, Rabbi Joshua Salter from the South West Organizing Project, Community Renewal Society, and many, many more.

The energy was high and the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as the march converged with another march for immigration reform that started at a different location, so that we could all march together as one large group into the Loop to Federal Plaza.

As we weaved through the afternoon rush amidst businessmen and women, bicycles, taxis, and buses, the group continued to sing and shout chants such as “What do we want? Immigration Reform! When do we want it? NOW!” and we soon closed in on Federal Plaza. The rally continued at the plaza with the goal of sparking excitement and change for the future.

The need for comprehensive immigration reform, the necessity that we stop deportations, that we stop tearing families apart, is growing ever more important with each passing day. The time has long been here to change our current system so that we may be a more humane, compassionate people. On May Day, JCUA marched united with the many people in our city who work tirelessly for change, and we are honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of this vital change.

See footage from JCUA’s march on May Day:

For more on JCUA’s work for immigrant rights, visit:

http://www.jcua.org/immigration

Meet JCUA’s 2013 Summer Interns

JCUA hosts interns year-round. The best and brightest who are looking to change the world come to us from schools across the country, and get trained in promoting social change through a Jewish lens (find out more about Fall 2013 internship opportunities). As summer nears, meet our 2013 summer internship cohort…

Leiah Moser

Internship Focus: Rabbinical Fellow, Or Tzedek
School/Program: Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Leiah just finished her second year at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. As a rabbi in training, she has a deep interest in finding new ways to build spiritually engaged, inclusive communities of prayer. In addition to blogging about issues of identity and gender diversity within Judaism, she is active in service leading at a number of local congregations, particularly at Dorshei Derech, the Reconstructionist minyan at Germantown Jewish Centre, and has been involved this year in Mitzvah Mensches, a service program for adults with special needs at Mishkan Shalom. She’s looking forward to spending the summer in her former hometown of Chicago, and can’t wait to get to know and work with this year’s Or Tzedek participants!

Beth Filipiak

Internship Focus: Community Development, Organizing and Advocacy
School/Program: Loyola University Chicago, MSW and MA in Social Justice

Having received her BA in Sociology, Beth spent the next several years in direct services and as an Assistant Director for a Low-Income Senior Housing Management Company.  During this time, she also volunteered twice with a holistic development organization in the Philippines, living, working and learning with this organization for almost a year a half total.  Currently, she is in her final year of a dual master degree program at Loyola University Chicago where she is working toward her MSW and MA in Social Justice and Community Development, with a potential for a certification in Non-profit management and philanthropy. Beth will be with JCUA through December, 2013.

Rachel Aaronson

Internship Focus: Or Tzedek
School/Program: Grinnell College (incoming)

Rachel is currently finishing up her gap year of service with the Americorps program City Year, an education based non profit dedicated to solving our nation’s high school drop out crisis. She’s spent the year working full time as a tutor and mentor in a 6th grade language arts classroom in Orlando, making sure all of her students are given the tools necessary to succeed both in and out of the classroom. She graduated from Chicagoland Jewish High School in 2012, and will be attending Grinnell College in the fall. As an Or Tzedek alumna and an avid advocate for social change, Rachel cannot wait to return to JCUA for this summer!

Jessica Cohen

Internship Focus: Communications
School/Program: Johns Hopkins University, English/Sociology

Having grown up in Chicago, Jessica is now a student at Johns Hopkins University (Class of 2016). In high school she volunteered with kindergarten and nursery school children, primarily as an assistant teacher at K.A.M. Isaiah Israel’s Sunday School program. Jessica has a strong interest in communications, and has pursued journalism and graphic design as an editor for her high school yearbook. She is currently a staff writer for her college newspaper, the Johns Hopkins News-Letter, and is a Layout Editor for the undergraduate public health research journal, Epidemic Proportions. Jessica also volunteers once a week at a soup kitchen in Baltimore that supports battered women, and is a member of the Johns Hopkins’ Sexual Assault Resource Unit.

Eliana Fisher

Internship Focus: Or Tzedek
School/Program: Barnard College

Eliana is a student in the double degree program with Barnard College and Columbia University and List College at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Eliana was a participant in Or Tzedek’s 2011 summer program, and a JCUA volunteer in summer of 2012. She feels that these experiences with JCUA and Or Tzedek were truly life-changing and she is really looking forward to working with Or Tzedek and JCUA again this summer.

Margaret Port

Internship Focus: Jewish-Muslim Initiative
School/Program: Vassar College

An Evanston Township High School graduate, Margaret just completed her freshman year at Vassar College.  She plans on pursuing a double major in psychology and political science.  Her other interests include playing violin, swimming, and volunteering at the Pediatric Development Center in Chicago.

Ione Barrows

Internship Focus: Community Organizing and Advocacy
School/Program: University of Chicago

A Massachusetts native, Ione is an undergraduate at the University of Chicago majoring in History and Gender Studies. She has previously worked as an English tutor at a public school in Woodlawn and is currently an intern at jU Chicago, a campus organization dedicated to redesigning Jewish traditions and engaging Jewish students on campus through innovative programming. She lives in Hyde Park.

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Find out more about internship opportunities at JCUA by visiting:
www.jcua.org/internships

Questions about internships at JCUA? Contact:
Asaf Bar-Tura
Director of Programs
asaf@jcua.org

[Action Alert – 5/3] Interfaith Vigil for Detained Immigrant Rights / Postville Remembrance Day

On May 3, 2013, the JCUA will participate in an interfaith vigil at the Broadview Detention Center. We will offer our support and prayers to those held at Broadview and subsequently deported. JCUA members will represent a larger Jewish voice demanding comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. The vigil will also serve to remember the tragic events in Postville, IA 5 years ago, as we seek to turn tragedy into a victory for justice.

We ask that you join us in standing with those held at Broadview and their families by participating in the vigil with us.

Click here to RSVP.

When:

7:15 AM – Vigil begins at Broadview Detention Center.

Where:

Broadview Detention Center
1930 Beach Street, Broadview, IL

Transportation:

• Once we know who wants to come, we will plan for transportation for those not driving.
• When you RSVP , please indicate if you need transportation.

Contact person:

Rabbi Ali Abrams
JCUA Director of Organizing
Alison@jcua.org

[Action Alert – 5/1] Act for Immigration Reform

On May 1, 2013, JCUA supporters will participate in the 2013 May Day March for immigration reform and immigrant rights. This movement calls for legislation to stop deportations and keep families together. It calls for legalization for all. The JCUA strongly believes that IMMIGRANT RIGHTS are HUMAN RIGHTS and we hope you will join us in marching for immigration reform.

RSVP here.

Date:

• Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Schedule:

• 2:00 PM – Gathering at Union Park
• 3:00 PM – March Begins
• 4:00 PM – Rally at Federal Plaza (Jackson St. and Dearborn St.)

JCUA Meeting Area:

Option 1: Meet us at 2:30 PM (Union Park)

• You can arrive at Union Park via Ashland-Lake CTA train (Green and Pink lines)
• JCUA members will be at the northeast corner of Ashland and Washington (see photo of meeting area). Look for the JCUA sign!

Option 2: Meet us at 4:00 PM (approximately) at the rally (Federal Plaza):

• When the march arrives at Federal Plaza, JCUA members will gather between the Calder sculpture and the federal building. (see photo of the meeting area). Look for the JCUA sign!

RSVP:

• Let us know if you plan on coming. It will make coordinating much easier!
• RSVP here.

With any questions, please contact:

Rabbi Ali Abrams
JCUA Director of Organizing
Alison@jcua.org

Introducing Or Tzedek’s Summer 2013 Staff

Spring is (kinda sorta) in the air  and summer is just around the corner. And with summer comes…Or Tzedek’s Summer 2013 sessions! We would like to introduce you to our experienced, passionate, and simply amazing summer staff who will  building and guiding our Or Tzedek community.

Danny Obeler and Miriam Grossman, activists and Jewish leaders who have previously staffed Or Tzedek’s winter retreat and summer programs, will be joining us for all three sessions. Rachel Aaronson and Eliana Fischer, Or Tzedek summer alums and Chicagoland Jewish High School graduates, will be our program interns this summer.

Welcome to all of our wonderful staff and to our 2013 Or Tzedekers. We can’t wait to get the summer started.

[Video] JCUA Members Stand for Immigrant Rights with Interfaith Partners at Detention Center

by Lauren Goldstein
Organizing and Advocacy Intern, JCUA

Early in the morning of April 5 2013, members of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs stood alongside the Sisters of Mercy and other interfaith partners in prayer and in strength to support those being deported from the Broadview Detention Center.

In the shadow of the barbed wire fencing and the county jail buses, amidst police vehicles and officers, and beneath a waving American flag, words of prayer and songs were shared to illustrate our solidarity with our brothers and sisters currently being detained in this country. Standing with us were a few families waiting to say goodbye to their family members. Vigil participants told the families that we were all there to pray with them, and that they are not, and never will be, alone.

Judy Levey – executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs – offered an opening prayer for the vigil as we all joined together to sing “The World is Narrow Bridge” (see video below). Prayers were offered, proclaiming we will keep in our hearts those being deported, the families been torn apart, those living in fear and uncertainty, and the leaders of our nation who have the power to make a change. Above all, prayers expressed hope that the spirit of love be more powerful than the spirit of hatred and discrimination.

Participants learned the names of a number of individuals being deported that day to countries around the world, from Albania to Guatemala, for no reason other than administrative paperwork error. Those present were called to contact our elected officials and plead for comprehensive, compassionate immigration reform. We were moved to act now – to create and affect change now – to fight for justice now.

Meet the Slowbots: Bringing World Influences to Cafe Finjan

Cafe Finjan 2013 will bring together a variety groups in performances ranging from dance and spoken word to music and stand up comedy. One of the most excitingly diverse groups performing is the Slowbots. Their musical influences include soul music, Pakistani and Indian poetry, hip hop and R&B. Meet the Slowbots…

The Slowbots

Cafe Finjan 2013:
Thursday, April 4, 6:00pm
American Islamic College
(640 W. Irving Park, Chicago)
$5 Suggested Donation
Get more details.

About the Slowbots:

The Slowbots’ music is a soulful rendering of influences from all over the world. Their style at times bucks the trend, and at times pays heartfelt tribute to the classics. Sultry, powerful vocals, strong melodies, and expressive music combine to pay homage to those broken moments in life that define us.  The Slowbots are currently working on their first album.

A little about the band members:

Nick Jaffe, the guitarist, is Chief Editor of the Teaching Artist Journal, a publication for the Center for Arts Policy at Columbia College.  He has also backed the performing artists Bobby Brown, Common, Dwele & Estelle.  His other musical projects focus on a wide variety of genres including soul, hip hop, rock and r&b.

Yasmin Ali, the lead singer, was trained from childhood in a sung form of poetry known as a Naat in India and Pakistan.  She seeks to combine that art form with a more contemporary one.

Angela Salva, the violinist, performs in the Dupage Symphony Orchestra among other projects. Katie Chow is the Slowbots’ intrepid drummer, and Todd Swope backs them on bass.  Rashik Farhan Rashid joins them on back up vocals and lead guitar.

Rakae Jamil

For their performance at Cafe Finjan, the Slowbots will be joined by Rakae Jamil.  Rakae Jamil began learning the sitar when he was 12. His first teacher was Ustad Ashraf Sharif Khan of Poonchwalay, who was the son of one of the greatest exponents of the sitar and vichitra veena, Ustad Sharif Khan of Poonchwalay.  He has performed at the All Pakistan Music Conference, which was held in memory of its founder, the late Ustad Hayat Ahmad Khan, and has performed several recordings of it at the Sanjan Nagar Institute of Philosophy and Arts.

Rakae received the Ustad Fateh Ali Khan Gold medal for 1st place at the All Pakistan Music Conference in March, 2006, and the Ustad Sharif Khan Poonchwalay gold medal in April, 2007. In December 2005 he participated in the British Council “Music Masti” program in November 2005, and was awarded a 2-week trip to the United Kingdom for a music exchange program: Trinity College; Warwick University; University of Edinburgh & University of Glasgow.

Meet the Emcees of Cafe Finjan 2013: Adam and Taz

We are very excited to announce that the emcees of Cafe Finjan 2013 are a very dynamic duo: Adam Shames and Taz Rashid. They both have a lot of experience in engaging audiences in a creative and fun way!

Cafe Finjan: Jewish. Muslim. Art.
Thursday, April 4, 2013, 6:oopm
American Islamic Collage (640 W. Irving Park, Chicago)
$5 Suggested Donation

Adam Shames

Adam is a creativity expert, organizational consultant and speaker who specializes in innovation, teambuilding and community events.  He is also a musician, poet and executive director of Poetry Pals, an interfaith non-profit creativity program that brings together Muslim, Jewish and Catholic kids and their communities.

A former “Teacher of the Year” with a master’s degree from Stanford University, Adam is the founder of the Kreativity Network, writes about creativity in his “Innovation on my Mind” blog and is adjunct faculty for Depaul University School of New Learning.

Taz Rashid

Taz has been producing and part of creating conscious, spiritual events in Chicago, IL and California over the last few years and as a musician, he plays guitar, keyboard, Native American Flute, didgeridoo and hand percussion. He is also a Poet Educator with Poetry Pals, an interfaith non-profit creativity program that brings together Muslim, Jewish and Catholic kids and their communities. He also produces a drug alcohol free all ages dance party in Chicago called Club Divine.

Get all Cafe Finjan Details at: www.CafeFinjan.org